We are offering a part time training route for the following subjects: Maths, Physics, Chemistry, Languages, Computing, Geography, and English. This route is directed particularly at career changers and will offer the opportunity to phase in your training combining it with other employment or with child-care responsibilities.

How does it work?

On the part time route you will receive one day per week of core and subject knowledge training during your first year and two days of school experience. During your second year you will spend three days per week in school with your own limited teaching timetable. Contact our salaried office or come to one of our information evenings in order to discuss whether this training option may be suitable for you.

Interview with Elie Ramsay, Part time Secondary SCITT trainee

Tell us a little about your background

I moved to the UK in 2002 from Canada, where I grew up and met my now-husband at University. I had just completed a degree in Biological Engineering and found a job at a big teaching hospital as their Medical Devices Trainer, providing on-the-job training for clinical staff.

In time, after my second daughter was born, I resigned from my job to look after my children. We had also decided to leave London, where we were living, and settled in Ipswich

As my children grew, I worked for our local church, setting up and running toddler groups and family support groups.

My third child was born in 2014, and last year I decided that I wanted to retrain for a new career.

Why did you decide to apply for teacher training?

I have always been interested in teacher training, but I couldn’t commit the time it would take because my husband works in a job with a long commute and I am the primary caregiver for our children.

About a year ago, I was looking at the Suffolk & Norfolk SCITT website and noticed two small sentences saying that this year a part-time option would be available for maths or physics candidates. I knew that with my Engineering Degree I would be suitable for this route and I started to get excited that my hopes to retrain might actually be possible!

I phoned the SCITT office staff who were very helpful in giving me more details and helped me arrange school visits straight away and from that point on it all went very quickly!

Now that you have started training, how is it going?

I am really enjoying my training! I was nervous to begin with, as, unlike many of my fellow trainees I had very little experience in a secondary school in England. It is very different from my own Canadian high school experience!

What has really helped me is the people – my mentor, the staff at my school, my SCITT Tutor and the rest of the SCITT staff. They have all been so reassuring, encouraging and helpful. The on-the-job learning, being in lessons a lot is what I needed.

What was your best lesson to date?

My best lesson to date was with a group of Year 8 students teaching them about ‘moments’. Physics can be dry, but there is usually something practical that you can use to show them directly what they are learning about. I brought in a big plank of wood and made a see-saw. I stood my mentor on one end and the smallest boy in the class on the other. The students quickly realised how they could use the Physics to balance out the see-saw and they really engaged with it because they thought it was funny!

What advice would you give to someone considering part-time teacher training?

I have already encouraged quite a few people to consider teacher training and especially the part-time option. I have heard teachers comment how they wish that it had been available when they did their training. I would say to go in with your eyes open – there is a lot of work (even as a part-time trainee!) and a lot of responsibility given to you, but it is such a rewarding job and really worthwhile.

Suffolk & Norfolk SCITT is currently offering two year part-time training in a range of Secondary subjects including Maths, Physics, Chemistry, Languages and Computing.